XOLO to launch new phone every quarter under Black brand

New Delhi: Domestic handset maker XOLO plans to launch new handset every quarter under sub-brand Black as it looks to compete aggressively with brands like Xiaomi, Motorola and Yu that drive significant chunk of their revenues from online sales.

XOLO, which has launched Black to cash in on the increasing consumer comfort for buying handsets online, will unveil its first device under the series later this month in the sub-Rs 15,000 range.

"At XOLO, we have always focused on building a strong digital presence. Even now, XOLO has 20-22 per cent of the total sales coming from online channels. Introducing an 'online-only' sub-brand is a natural progression for XOLO, catering to the experience-seeking online customers," XOLO Business Head Sunil Raina said.

He, however, declined to comment on the contribution of Black to online sales. Raina said that the company is looking at launching a new handset under the Black Series every quarter.

"Eventually, we will have three-four devices in its portfolio at any given point in time," he said. XOLO has partnered e-commerce major Flipkart to sell the first device in the Black range.

"Their premium sub-brand 'XOLO Black,’ which will be an exclusive on Flipkart, brings some interesting features for customers," Flipkart Vice President Commerce Platform & Head (Strategic Brand Alliances) Michael Adnani said.

Previously, homegrown smartphone major Micromax had launched its online-only 'Yu' brand in India. Similarly, China's Huawei had commenced selling devices online under its 'Honor' range, but has now expanded into offline channels too.

Another Chinese firm, ZTE has a 'nubia' range to focus on online sales.

"Metro cities and tier I cities make up for about 40-50 per cent of our business and this region also has a strong uptake for online buying. Black will be about high-end technology at honest pricing," XOLO's Raina said.

Black series will include a portfolio of products, which will be future ready when it comes to technology as well as network and all Black devices will be LTE-ready, he added.